1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to seatbelt systems for preventing movement of an occupant in a vehicle. More particularly, the invention pertains to a seatbelt system capable of automatically fastening an occupant restraining webbing to the occupant after he is seated.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A typical conventional seatbelt system is arranged such that an occupant of a vehicle is fastened with an occupant restraining webbing and is prevented from movement by the webbing during vehicular emergencies.
In order to automatically fasten the webbing to the occupant after he has seated himself in the vehicle, a seatbelt system has been proposed which is arranged such that one end of the webbing is attached to a door of the vehicle, and the webbing is driven in response to the action of opening and closing the door such as to be automatically fastened to or unfastened from the occupant. Examples of this type of seatbelt system include those shown in the specifications of Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 42,818/1976, 47,212/1977 and 26,019/1978 as well as Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 32,420/1978. In this type of seatbelt system, the end portion of the webbing which is opposite to the end portion thereof attached to the door is wound up by means of a bias into a webbing retractor which is mounted on a floor member of the vehicle.
Accordingly, when the occupant opens the door, the end portion of the webbing attached to the door is moved toward the front end of the vehicle, and an intermediate portion of the webbing is wound off from the webbing retractor. In such case, the counterforce relative to the wind-off of the webbing unfavorably acts against the door opening force as a resistance. Further, when the door is opened, the moving webbing may disadvantageously rub against the body of the occupant in the early stage of movement of the webbing.